Week In Review: Finales, Come They Will

Saturday, May 19, 2018

The first week free from college....
Only for a few more weeks until one of my summer classes starts up.

Credit: Anne of Green Gables

When my advisor told me I should take summer classes to fulfill the last two requirements for my psychology minor, I was all for it. Relieved, even, that I could do so online. But now that it's sunken in that I'm wasting a summer on schoolwork....Nope.

Currently Reading: Umm...nothing much this week. I've still been too busy.

Current Projects: I came up with some short story, novelette, and poem ideas for various projects that I only have inklings of plans for, and I came up with some fresh continuity choices for my two main series.

Current Bible Verse: Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice (alt: laugh) in the time to come. (Proverbs 31:25, NKJV).

And a special verse for all the college and upcoming high school grads out there: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV). Congratulations on your hard work and best of luck for your future! (If any of you guys are graduating this year?)

And it's season-finale-season. The time when absolutely nothing is on TV and I have to be a productive human being (or just binge-watch whole seasons...) Not to mention, apparently this time around, it seems like "death and disappointment" is the theme for everyone's finales? Wow.

Credit: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 // Tumblr

However, I think dissecting the finales for their storytelling impact is a great idea. So if you watch NCIS, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., or The Blacklist and haven't seen the finales yet, don't read any further.

In the episode-before-the-finale, NCIS took away two fantastic characters: Abby Scuito and Clayton Reeves. The latter was killed protecting the former, but only after developing his character. Reeves was a suave, albeit minor, character until a few episodes ago, when they expanded his character and gave him a background. Real sob-story; he lost his mother and ended up homeless with his sister, and planned to open up a homeless shelter in honor of his mother. When he died protecting Abby, she chose to accompany his body back to London, then finish the work he'd begun with building a shelter...this time in his honor too. The episode was so very impactful because, not only because a character who starred in the show for the past fifteen seasons was leaving, but also because of the selfless acts of Reeves paired with his saddening background.
Tip: give your characters backgrounds; give the readers time to love them before you do something horrible to them.

In the season finale of The Blacklist, a shattering plot twist came about: the man claiming to be the main character's father...is a dangerous impersonator (Raymond Reddington). Not only that, but it was revealed that many of the deaths of people close to Liz (the main character) were a result of this secret. This was very artfully orchestrated throughout the entire series: everyone thought the big secret about the impersonator's identity was his relation to Liz. As it turns out, the big secret is that he isn't Raymond Reddington at all.
Tip: purposefully mislead your readers with simple ambiguity. Bonus points if you rip their hearts out along the way, I guess...and to top that off, make sure you bring back a beloved character only for a dream sequence or a "I wish you were here" scene...

And finally, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the whole team is given the task of ensuring that the world....doesn't blow to pieces. (It's sci-fi.) Choices had to be made including the worth of life: should the team save their leader's life and fulfill a prophecy about the apocalypse, or should the team let him die and change time itself? Honestly, it makes a lot more sense if you've watched the show. But anyway, the leader -- Agent Coulson -- ended up making the decision for the team, choosing to die slowly and leave his beloved and his team, one practically being an adopted daughter. They ended the episode tastefully: he visits Tahiti, which watchers of the show recognized as a place that had reoccurring themes in the series. Finally, with the altering of time came the altering of some lives: the star-crossed lovers and newlyweds, Agents Fitz and Simmons, end up separated. Their motto throughout the series? "I'm never leaving your side." It's natural that they are split up during a mission and Fitz ends up dying without her by his side.
Tip: Rip your readers' hearts out and stomp on them by killing all of their OTPs at once Build your characters into a lovable team. Give them difficult choices that will divide them to show that family is stronger than arguments. Give them devastation and leave a small window of hope that time itself can be changed once again.

Credit: M*A*S*H

Any thoughts on TV finales and what writers can learn from them? How did your week go? Sound off in the comments!

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About Me

Hello! I'm Michaela Bush, an independently published author. I am a graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, having achieved a B.A. in English and a minor in Psychology in May 2019. My passions are writing Christian fiction and helping others sharpen their own writing skills. Vices of mine include overachieving and overthinking...
When I'm not spinning tales or working, I'm hanging out with my horses, friends and family, or playing violin. I love to hear from folks, so feel free to contact me!